Tiger Woods reveals Phil Mickelson offered to help him with short-game struggles

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — During his short-game woes in 2015 — well, the chip yips at the lowest moments — Tiger Woods often insisted he had the situation under control.

At times during his comeback in 2018 he has explained the ways his health issues impacted his life and even infected his short game. But for the first time Tuesday at the Players Championship, Woods revealed that old nemesis and new pal Phil Mickelson even offered to help.

“You know, when I was trying to deal with the nerve in my back and trying to come back and trying to play and I wasn’t very good,” Woods said. “He always texted me some very encouraging words.”

“Then, on top of that, when you guys all saw how I was chipping so poorly, my nerve and my back was not doing very good, and I was flinching a lot. And he offered numerous times to help me out with technique and just talk about it and philosophy. And I said, yeah, you and I have the same philosophy in how we approach chipping and how we do it. I just can’t physically do it.”

Woods has shown no signs of the struggles this year around the greens.

“Now it’s different. I feel better, and my short game has turned around,” he said.

Oh to see those text exchanges offering encouragement and a free short-game lesson, from one legend to another.